Behind the Commander
by Velace
Summary: An eventual collection of short stories revolving around the life of Commander Morgan Shepard and Liara T'Soni. If you're looking for plot, you won't find it here. Intended to be fluff and fun.
1. Dinner Invitation

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything, it's all Bioware. I'm just nerd-loving on the characters.

**Rated M: **for reasons. Foul-mouthed and occasional sexy reasons.

* * *

_ Falling for the Commander was easy and so very unexpected. From the moment I met her, she intrigued me constantly. Her hair, crimson in colour and tightly tied into a ponytail, fascinated me on a daily basis, the look, the feel, the form it takes when it's wet. Her sparkling green eyes, always so full of mischief, and despite the trials that challenge her every moment of her life, so full of happiness._

_I find that my time, when not assisting with missions or being interrupted by crew members who wish to talk, is spent thinking about her. The curl of her lips when she smiles, or rather when she smirks, something she tends to do quite often, especially when it comes to me; like I'm an endless source of amusement for her. Which is fine, if I'm being honest. I can't deny that I love her attention, when she's able to give it to me._

_Goddess, I feel like I'm trapped in some pre-teen's fantasy. I remember thinking about all those romantic fairy tales common on Earth. The damsel in distress, saved by a knight in shining armour. Am I being childish? Is this really love or am I, as the humans would say, "crushing" on the Commander?_

_Should I tell her? No no, she'll probably laugh at me and tell me I'm being foolish. I am being foolish. What if she finds this? Goddess, Commander if you do find this, do me the favour of pretending it doesn't exist, please. I don't think I could live with myself._

Shepard quietly chuckles to herself as she places the data pad down. She'd come into the storeroom behind the medbay to see if the Asari wanted to join her on the Citadel. She had in fact planned on it being a date, instead she'd entered the room to find their illustrious Prothean expert face down at her terminal, data pad carelessly dropped to the floor.

Grinning, she leans her hip against the desk and reaches out with a finger, lightly trailing the tip down a fold in the Asari's crests, the resulting moan she decides is well worth being yelled at the moment Liara wakes up and realises what happened.

A few minutes later, it becomes obvious that the Asari isn't waking up, so she repeats the action, this time using two fingers on separate folds. Her heart beats furiously within her chest when this next moan is much louder, evoking a heat inside the human.

_Please wake up, I'm not going to be able to handle another one of those._

Her mind seems intent on worsening her sudden situation as it wanders away from the present and conjures countless amounts of more desirable circumstances when the sound she just experienced seemed more appropriate. The warm blue body, writhing beneath her as her fingers brought the Asari to her peak. That same sound escaping those undeniable kissable lips as her mouth worked between the Asari's thighs..

A sharp gasp, followed closely by a breathless "Shepard?" penetrates her thoughts. She blinks rapidly and looks down at the Asari. Abruptly, she takes a step back, swallowing the sudden lump in her throat, conjured by the desire glimpsed within the ocean-like orbs.

"I-uh.." She doesn't know what to do, what to say.

_God please don't be upset. You're aroused.. You can't be upset when you're aroused, right? dammit. She's a woman, of course she can. She could experience every single emotion all at once and still have room to double them. Shit fuck._

She closes her eyes and breathes deeply before opening them, her shoulders slump and she shakes her head. "I'm sorry... for doing that." She's not, she's not sorry in the least and she can tell by the tilt of the Asari's head that she doesn't sound or even look sorry either.

The blush that had coloured blue cheeks was fading slowly, Shepard watched it, fascinated by the light purple complexion. Truth be told, she was as intrigued by Liara as much as the Asari apparently was by her. Her skin, her 'freckles', her crests. After every mission, every debriefing, she constantly found herself drawn to that small room behind the medbay.

A shy smile forms on the Asari's lips, an amused twinkle in her eyes. She laughs softly, another sound Shepard finds herself loving. "You're not really, are you?"

_Oh but that voice, no sound will ever compare to that._

Shepard shakes her head, a cocky grin spreading across her face. "Not really, no."

It's then that the Asari notices the data pad in front of her, her face instantly flush once again. Her head drops into the palm of her hands, an embarrassed groan escaping her throat. Without looking up, she asks the question she dreads the answer to. "You read it, didn't you?"

Shepard clears her throat to get the Asari to look at her, when Liara raises her head, she points to herself. "This is me, pretending that..." she points to the data pad. "Doesn't exist."

Liara groans again and covers her face. "Please kill me."

Laughing, Shepard steps forward and places a hand on the Asari's shoulder. She bends down and gently tugs at her wrists, urging Liara to uncover her adorably embarrassed face. "Since I would like for you to join me on the Citadel for dinner, could you put a rain-check on the wanting to die thing for an hour or two?"

She decides then and there that she'd like the smile now directed at her to be a regular occurrence in her life.

* * *

**A/N: I have these little scenes that play through my head when I'm playing Mass Effect. I ****_always _****romance Liara, so they're always about her. I decided that while I'm working through my other story, I could post something like this every once in awhile to help me concentrate. Maybe even improve my writing for stories with actual plot at the same time. **


	2. Banana Pancakes

**Disclaimer: **Alas, it still isn't mine.

* * *

She's woken by the sounds of banging coming from the mess hall, as well as the faint beat of music. Seeing that it's almost time to be up anyway, she throws off her blanket and after finding the Commander's hooded sweatshirt draped across a chair, she slips it on and makes her way toward the noise.

_"We could close the curtains, pretend like there's no world outside and we could pretend it all the time, love."_

Given that she was no longer in her room, it wasn't a surprise to see that Shepard was the one moving around in the small corner where the kitchen sat. It was surprising however, that the Commander seemed to be cooking and singing. "Shepard, what are you doing?"

Hand freezing in mid-air as it reaches for a coffee mug, Shepard turns her head toward the Asari and grins. "Um, making us breakfast?"

Unused to seeing Shepard anywhere near a kitchen, other than for her daily doses of caffeine, Liara's tone held an understandable amount of surprise and a healthy dose of suspicion when she asked. "You.. can cook?"

Shepard shrugs and waves her hand dismissively. "Debatable."

Looking at her oddly, Liara takes a seat at the table. "Should I be worried?"

Moving towards the Asari, Shepard places a steaming cup of coffee in front of her. "That depends. Would you rather starve, or be poisoned by my awful cooking?" She dips her head down and presses a sweet kiss to blue lips before moving back to the kitchen to continue with breakfast.

Cupping the mug with both hands, Liara closes her eyes and breathes in the intoxicating aroma, a soft sigh escaping her lips. "I don't suppose there's a third option?"

Amused, Shepard shakes her head and replies. "Well I suppose you could get off your cute blue ass and make your own breakfast."

Having taken a sip of her coffee, it takes her a moment to reply. "Mmm, I think I'll take my chances with your poison." She tilts her head, listening to the soothing melody coming from the ship's speakers.

_"Just so easy when the whole world fits inside of your arms, do we really need to pay attention to the alarm? Wake up slow."_

Humming to herself, Shepard goes about piling food onto their plates and makes her way back to the table. She hesitates for a moment before setting a plate in front of the Asari. "I.. I have no idea if you'll like it.. it's kind of common for us humans to eat this for breakfast and I know Asari have similar tastes."

Sitting across from Liara, she picks up her fork and uses it as a pointer as she speaks. "Bacon, eggs, sausages." She gives the Asari a goofy grin. "No pancakes though."

_Bacon and egg or sausage and egg? I hate choices, Why did I cook so much?_

Liara frowns, having heard the word while listening to the song. "What are.. pancakes?"

Deciding on bacon and egg, the combination is half-way to her mouth before Shepard pauses and lowers her fork to answer. "Uh.. It's a flat, round.. cake like.. thing made from batter... er that's flour, milk, eggs.. and cooked in a frying pan. Another common breakfast food for humans. Banana ones are delicious, but.. well this is a space-ship, we can only afford so many luxuries and I used all my money on this the last time we were on the Citadel."

Nodding, Liara mimics the Commander and samples the bacon and egg. Within seconds, her eyes widen and a flush adorns her cheeks when an involuntary moan escapes. "Oh Goddess Morgan, this is..."

Grinning, Shepard interrupts. "Delicious? Heavenly? Devilishly orgasmic?"

"Yes... that."

It didn't take long for Liara to clean off her plate, much to Shepard's amusement. Having only managed to eat half of her own, she offers the rest to the Asari, who happily accepts and devours the food with record speed.

Shaking her head, she rises from her seat and collects the dishes. She was glad Liara seemed to appreciate the gesture, but the sounds that had accompanied the Asari's enjoyment wreaked havoc on her sanity.

_She was eating food. She is not splayed naked in your bed.. or the chair.. or the table. Dammit brain, get the hell out of the gutter. Hmm maybe.._

After washing the dishes, she dries off her hands and turns to face the Asari that was now mere inches behind her. "We should probably get ready, everyone else will be up soon to start our exciting day of bullet wounds and blowing things up. Care to join me for a shower?"

Liara's lips curl with a smirk, her tone teasing. "Ah the reason for you cooking is finally revealed. You're just trying to get me out of my clothes."

She doesn't think she'll ever get tired of their banter, the joking, the teasing. Erasing the space between them completely, she wraps her arms around Liara's waist. "Uh I'm fairly certain I wouldn't have needed to go to all this trouble just to get you naked.. but if it's helped sway you into accepting, I certainly won't complain."

"Oh it has definitely swayed me, Commander."

* * *

**A/N: Yes, I was listening to Banana Pancakes by Jack Johnson while I wrote this down :P This came to me when I found myself repeatedly running through the mess hall because I kept forgetting what the hell I was doing :D I still don't remember actually, I just went and bothered Liara then went about doing awful mako-related missions, I hate that damn truck.**

**And for those who asked, Morgan Shepard is earth-born, a sole survivor and infiltrator. She's a mix Paragon/Renegade, leaning more towards Paragon.. so a Paragade? I guess.**


	3. Mako Madness

**Disclaimer: **Finding different ways to say "not mine" is harder than actually writing the story. I guess I could use another language. Non la mia.. I think that's right.. Story time!

* * *

Shepard was starting to regret not accompanying Liara and Ashley. She trusted them both, and she knew there was practically no chance whatsoever that they were in danger.

_I'm just so goddamn bored, right now._

Liara had insisted that she be the one to deliver supplies to the scientists they had rescued from the Batarians a few days earlier. It didn't take all that much convincing, Shepard knew the Asari didn't entirely feel as though she was a definite member of the team.

If she were being honest, she had been a little disappointed that the Asari had asked Ashley to accompany her, instead of Shepard, but it was obvious to everyone that the two woman didn't get along very well and she reasoned the time together might improve their relationship.

It wasn't long until she glimpsed their return in the distance, the Mako was approaching at an almost alarming speed.

She winced as the Mako skidded to a stop, shocked when the door was flung open and out flies a terrified Gunnery Chief. Falling to the ground, she crawls over to Shepard and clings to her legs. "Please.. please.. I swear I'll be her best damn friend if you promise to.. never.. ever.. make me ride in that thing with her again."

Laughing, Shepard looks down at the woman. "What happened, Ash?"

Tilting her head back, Ashley's eyes are wildly unfocused as she responds. "It was awful. The swerving and the bouncing, nose-diving from a cliff. I thought you were crazy, but no.. that woman is psychotic."

Shepard directs her gaze toward the Asari watching from beside the truck with a grin pulling at blue lips. Ocean-filled orbs meet emerald-green, amusement dancing beneath their surface. Liara shrugs her shoulders, a habit she seemed to have adopted from the Commander. "She only has you to thank for my driving skills, Morgan."

Ashley's head whips around, her eyes narrowing at the Asari. "Skills?! That wasn't skill, that was a suicide attempt! Shepard, if you want us to survive, you have to promise to never let her drive again!"

_"Liara, I can't concentrate when you're doing that." The hand resting against her thigh had started to move, a gentle caress at first, before she felt those fingertips kneading the skin._

_She almost flipped the Mako when she felt the soft press of lips against her neck, the hand moved from her thigh and travelled up her torso, slipping beneath her shirt. "Liara.." Her muscles danced under the skilful manipulation of those fingers, her breathing was shallow now, her voice low and significantly more aroused than just moments ago._

_"Pull over, Commander."_

Smiling at the memory, Shepard pried herself from the woman's grip and walked over to the Asari. "Tell me.." Stepping into Liara's personal space, she pretends to think, tapping her chin. "Was there by chance, an Asari touching and teasing and.." she lowers her voice to a husky whisper. "Groping you, while you were driving?"

Blushing, Liara shakes her head while placing her hands upon the slim waist of the Commander. "Thankfully no, that would have been rather distracting."

Chuckling softly, Shepard leans forward to capture the Asari's mouth in a brief kiss before pulling back with a grin. "Oh it's distracting alright."

Ashley groans as she stands, dusting herself off and glaring at the other two woman. "I almost die and you decide that now is a good time to make out? At least get a room!" Mumbling, she storms off toward the Normandy.

They both laugh happily, waving goodbye to the Gunnery Chief's retreating form.

Liara's expression suddenly serious, yet mellowed by the mischievous twinkle in her eyes. "Your room or mine, Commander?"

* * *

**A/N: Yeah it's shorter, but it's still cute.. right? right?!**

**I hated the fact that they did pretty much ****_nothing _****between discovering their feelings for each other and the sexy time before Ilos. So this is my way of.. filling in the gap. This one came to me while I was playing the Bring Down the Sky DLC. I was a little confused about how to refer to the hostages.. were the people scientists or engineers? or both? I need to pay more attention to these things.**


	4. Change of Plans

**Disclaimer: **I still haven't gained the magic powers to attain the rights to Mass Effect, it's a shame I know.

* * *

A crackle echoes throughout the room, its own little warning that someone was about to contact her via the ships communication system. _"Uh Commander.."_

Lieutenant Jeff Moreau, pilot of the SSV Normandy SR-1. She liked him, at times he could be crass, downright rude and insubordinate; and she liked him. The thought that it was because he reminded her of herself, didn't escape her notice. "Yes?"

He didn't communicate with her often, but when he did, it usually meant a new mission or a message that seemed important at the time. Sensing his hesitance, she assumed it would be one of the two. _"You may want to.. I don't know.. seal your cabin."_

_Well, you know what they say about assumptions._

"And why would I want to do that?" Before he can supply her with an answer, they're interrupted by the chime and swoosh of the door to her cabin opening, an irate looking Asari stepping into and moving through the room with a glare adorning her expression.

She takes a moment to study her visitor before her eyes raise to the ceiling, as though he'd be able to feel her wary stare through the speakers. "Joker, what did you do?"

_"Uhh so sorry.. please don't kill me."_

Sighing, she places the data pad she'd been holding beside her on the bed and crosses her legs at the ankles, patiently waiting for the Asari to speak.

"Shepard, would you like to tell me why you found it necessary to upset your superiors by disconnecting them in the middle of your debriefing?" She wasn't sure what to expect, but it definitely wasn't that. The thought of how Liara came across the information flitted across her mind, her pilot's request for not killing him now making sense.

_Oh, I am going to kill you._

Feigning nonchalance, she shrugged and resumed entering her report into the data pad. She despised the Council, their inability to understand her actions or their clear distrust of her despite the fact they were the ones that had appointed her as one of their SpecTRes. She knew she was only appointed to appease Humanity, why bother pretending otherwise. She was doing her job the only way she could, the way she knew how. If they wanted to know, they could damn well read her reports and stop bothering her with their unnecessary debriefs.

"I'm trying to do my job, I don't have time to stand about and listen to their abuse after every mission." She felt the bed dip at end of her sentence and looked up, her gaze meeting with the brilliant pools of softened blue eyes.

Shoulders slumping, she tossed the data pad to the side once more, ignoring the fact it must have bounced to the floor as Liara took the opportunity to crawl into her lap and straddle her thighs. "Has the Council been picking on you?"

The teasing quality of Liara's voice causes her to frown. She wasn't being childish, was she? It's not like she threw a tantrum and refused to send them their reports, she just didn't feel like defending her actions to them all the time. What did it accomplish? She wasn't a Politician, she wasn't going to kiss their arses and tolerate the judgement and the condescension they heaped upon her whenever they could spare their precious time to 'check-in' with her.

She huffed, her hands automatically finding their way to Liara's hips. "If you only came in here to mock me, feel free to leave." She really did try to sound as put off by the insinuation as she felt, but her body clearly had other ideas.

Liara released the clasp holding her shirt together. "I planned to come and yell at you." A gloved finger was pressed against her lips, halting the protest on the tip of her tongue as the Asari continued. "But.. you seem more in need of cheering up."

Gripping hips, Shepard flipped them over and pressed their lips together, slipping her tongue into the inviting mouth of her lover. A welcome warmth enveloped her torso as Liara wrapped her legs around her waist. Pulling back from the kiss, she looked down into slowly blackening eyes and smiled. "I like this plan much more than the original."

* * *

**A/N: I know it's not much, but I stopped playing ME for awhile, because.. well the next play-through would be approximately my 14th and let's be honest, that's a bit much. I have a couple more chapters in my head that I haven't yet written, but until I figure out which is next and 'how' to write it, I hope this will suffice. I love disconnecting them every. single. time.**

**Also, this means I won't be addressing that moment in ME3 where Liara really finds out about it. Honestly, there's no way Joker could have waited a whole two games to share that tid-bit with someone.**


	5. Drunken Desire

**Warning: **There be smut, ladies and gents.

* * *

Shepard lay sprawled across a bench overlooking the Lake of the Presidium, her eyes darting to and fro, mesmerised by the minor disruptions in the water. She ignored the footsteps making their way toward her, by now all too familiar with the strut of a particular scientist.

"Morgan, what are you doing?"

The concern underlying the melodious voice forced her to tear her eyes from the bewitching display, she turned her head to look up at the form leaning over the back of the seat; a lazy smile playing across her lips. "Admiring the view." Her speech slurred by the evenings previous activities.

"How much have you had to drink?"

"Two.." Liara stares at her, not even dignifying the lie with a response. "Okay, four."

A grin teasing the corners of her mouth, Liara tilts her head to the side, her eyebrow slightly raised. "And after those four?"

_A gentle pull inside her chest, a desire to look. Blue eyes watching her, drawing her to them. _

Whenever Shepard felt the need to be close to the Asari, all she had to do was turn her head and she'd find her. Liara had been watching her all throughout the night, it wasn't really difficult to assume she'd noticed her alcohol consumption. "You know I'm old enough to look after myself, Mom."

Sarcasm never works, she knows that. "Shepard.."

"Two shots of Ryncol, one Screaming Eclipse and two Blue Temptations." She caves easily under that tone.

Liara walks around the bench, offering her hand to assist Shepard with sitting up. "How are you even still conscious?"

Keeping hold of the hand, she pulls Liara down into her lap, her arms snaking their way around a slim waist as she rests her chin upon a shoulder. "Practice." Her voice soft, breath warm against the Asari's skin.

Her eyes close as Shepard's lips brush against the tender flesh of her neck. Liara knew this was a bad idea, but she couldn't suppress the pleased shudder that passed through her body. Willing her voice to remain calm was difficult as a hand slipped beneath her dress and began stroking her inner thigh. "Shepard, we're in public."

"Mhmm."

Lips parted as a tongue darted from between to taste before the mouth latched on to her neck and began sucking. The hand between her legs caressed higher, its twin travelling upwards, over her stomach, between her breasts, up and up until fingers clasped her jaw and forced her head sideways to expose more skin for the wandering mouth.

Her breathing was shallow now, chest heaving, a moan tore from her throat as teeth grazed her pulse point. "Mor-gan. Y.. you're.. oh goddess." Fingertips lightly danced their way across sensitive folds, hips betraying her increasingly weak protests as she shifted into the fingers. Her body demanded more from the drunken commander, who was all too happy to oblige as she slipped beneath the already soaked material of Liara's panties.

The hand fell from her neck to her chest, cupping her breast and squeezing gently. Her body arched into the warmth, her nipple hardening almost painfully with a light brush of a thumb. A gasp fell from parted lips as she was assaulted simultaneously; a small tug of her nipple, a light nip at her neck as two fingers slid smoothly into her aching core, filling her completely.

"Ohh She.." Her voice hitched as the fingers buried within her began to slowly thrust in and out, a steady rhythm interrupted only by an uncontrolled buck of her hips when a particular spot was struck.

Tilting her head back against a shoulder, Liara turns to face Shepard and slides her hand up around her neck, pulling her into a searing kiss. The slow building warmth low in her abdomen changes to a burning heat as she rocks her hips against the fingers, thrusting harder and faster inside her.

Feeling inner walls clench around her, Shepard takes the Asari's bottom lip between perfect teeth, firmly biting down before swiping a thumb against her swollen nub and curling her fingers; sending Liara over the edge.

As soon as Liara recovered enough, she made to move from the Commander's lap, only to be stopped as Shepard stood with her in her arms.

"You're going to need your energy, Doctor." Morgan grinned as she walked them back toward the ship.

* * *

**A/N: Soooo, I'm somewhat uncomfortable writing smut. Not because I don't want to, it's just.. I think I suck at it. Anyway, with how the other chapters ended, this seemed a valid scene to throw in. My Shepard spent a LOT of time in Chora's Den because I don't like leaving her standing around when I go AFK, I'm not sure why. I feel like she's judging me when I'm away. "Oh she's gone to make coffee, again." lol So, she enjoyed dancers when I wasn't around to maim/shoot/blow things up with her.**

**Sorry if it's crap and I know Chora's is down in the wards, just pretend Shepard had a fun slightly drunken elevator ride to the Presidium.**


	6. Promise Me

**Three things. **

**1) We've jumped to Mass Effect 2 with this chapter because.. I could.**

**2) This is angsty and I hate it. **

**3) I was listening to the song Perfect by MDD when I wrote this, so that probably explains why it's so not funny and/or romantic.. at all.**

* * *

_Shepard knew something was off as soon as she opened her eyes. It wasn't the strange room, the uncomfortable bed. It wasn't the texture of her scarred skin, nor the burn of the implants. She had died, the fact hadn't escaped her but that still wasn't what was off. It was the aching loneliness, the loss of feeling safe, the lack of waking to the warmth she was accustomed to. There was no asari beside her; and for the first time in her life, Shepard panicked._

It was that exact moment that she was reliving when she stepped into the office on Illium, the woman she had longed for the second she awoke, was not the woman who stood before her. There was a distance between them, a haunted longing reflected in those beautiful ocean blue eyes.

Their reunion was brief, stunted, awkward and it angered her. The woman she loved, no longer wanted her. One might think the kiss she had received upon her arrival would disagree, but she felt it. Liara had been caught in the moment, but as soon as she'd overcome whatever possessed her to launch herself at the Commander, she had pulled back, disconnected... and it hurt.

* * *

**I shouldn't have fallen in love with her,**  
**It's been nothing but trouble til now.**  
**I shouldn't have fallen in love at all,**  
**But I couldn't stop myself.**

* * *

She lashed out; the woman who was once a proud paragon, became a ruthless renegade. The first warning sign of her change came in the form of her fist, smoothly planted in the face of the cerberus cheerleader; Miranda's nose was swollen for days. When her anger next manifested, Jacob ended up on the wrong side of an incinerate, which lead to a rather heated scolding; and the only thing that prevented Doctor Chakwas ending up exactly like Miranda had, was the deep seated affection Shepard had for the older woman. After All, not even a renegade would hit their only motherly figure.

During battle, Shepard became careless. Not only had she started using her squad mates as diversions, but she barely bothered to use her cloaking anymore. Her crew began to think she had a death wish, that's why no one seemed surprised when she was on the receiving end of a Krogan's shotgun blast to her torso; they were surprised when the doctors at Heurta Memorial announced her survival.

When she woke after her surgery, there was a familiar energy in the room. Even without opening her eyes, she knew Liara had come. For a second, hope flared it's optimistic head only to be crushed beneath the weight of her spite and self loathing.

"What do you want?" It wasn't the angered snarl she'd hoped for, her voice scratchy from a combination of having slept for so long, medication and lack of use.

But no matter what she'd intended with her question, she hadn't expected an immediate reply, nor the answer itself. "You."

All at once, everything broke inside her. Tears welled up beneath closed eyes, flitting upon the edges before spilling over and cascading down her cheeks. She could hear the soft foot falls as Liara moved toward the bed, her heart clenching painfully in her chest as the warmth of a hand slipped into her own. "You're an idiot."

A sound between a laugh and sob escaped her throat, she wondered if Liara knew just how true that statement was. Not trusting that her voice won't betray just how broken she felt, she simply nodded her agreement.

She found herself unable, unwilling, to protest when the asari lay down beside her, molding perfectly against her side. Her heart clenched painfully in her chest, when Liara spoke again, it was obvious she'd begun crying. "Please.. please don't leave me again."

With the knowledge that she was no longer alone and the feeling of safety once more wrapping itself around her, she embraced the asari at her side and made her vow. "Never again."

"Promise?" She sounded so small.

For the first time since waking in that lab, everything felt right. "I promise."

* * *

**A/N: The best thing about ME2, was the LotSB DLC- which I will most definitely use in a chapter eventually. However, because that was the only decent thing that involved Liara, I'm going to make it seem like Shepard spends way too much time on Illium because I need more Liara moments, damnit.**


	7. High Commander

**A/N: I wrote this while I was drunk. I wasn't going to post it, but now that I've read it sober.. it does make me laugh. It's ridiculous, but it at least makes some sense after the previous chapter.**

* * *

Now that Shepard was out of the hospital, she'd returned to Illium. While she had come for information about an Asari Justicar, she'd somehow been roped into running an errand for her own beloved asari. Which wasn't in the least bit surprising, Shepard knew she was whipped. What was surprising, however; was the fact she went above and beyond once she'd completed the job Liara had given her.

The results of her continued investigation into Liara's little dilemma had her taking the stairs to her office two at a time and as she paused beside the reception desk, she grinned down at Nyxeris. "Hi there."

"Oh hello, Commander. Do you have an appointment with Liara?"

"Pfft, I don't need an appointment." She waved her hand dismissively. "Grunt, you mind?"

"No!" Grabbing the asari by the arm, Grunt tossed her over his shoulder and followed Shepard as she sauntered into Liara's office.

Ignoring the squeals from behind her, Shepard beamed at the asari that sat behind her desk. "Hey Liara, I found the Overseer."

Looking up at the intrusion, Liara frowned before raising her eyebrow. "Shepard, why is my assistant being manhandled by a Krogan?"

Briefly, Shepard's face fell in disappointment before her eyes widened with realisation and a grin spread across her lips. "Oh yeah. Liara, this is our son, Grunt."

Liara shot out of her chair, the shock in her voice more than clear. "What?!"

"Ha! Shepard opened my pod, keeps introducing me as her son." It was hard to read the facial expressions of a Krogan, but to Shepard it looked like he was thinking before he added. "She knocked out a salarian earlier for insulting my beauty."

Blinking her disbelief, Liara's mouth did a great impression of a fish, in Shepard's opinion. A minute or two passed before she managed to compose herself. "We.. can talk about that later. Shepard, my assistant?"

"Oh, hacked those terminals for you, she's your overseer. Put her down, son."

The sound of a shotgun firing startled them.

Shepard gaped down at the corpse that now bled all over the floor of the office before turning her attention to the krogan. "What the hell, Grunt?!"

There was genuine confusion on his face, at least, Shepard assumed it was confusion. Damn Krogans and their faces. "You said put her down."

"That isn't what I meant." Still having enough wits about her to know a bad idea when it was floating around in her head, she barely, but successfully, resisted the urge to insult his intelligence.

"Sorry, mom."

Shepard suddenly beamed and bounced up and down with excitement. "Awww! He called me mom!" She then proceeded to affectionately headbutt the krogan and fell to the floor.

"Shepard! She was my only lead to the Shadow Broker."

Rubbing her head and blinking rapidly in an attempt to overcome her sudden dizziness, Shepard gave Liara a goofy, possibly concussion induced grin. "Wow, that would totally suck if it were true."

"Yes it- Wait, what? It is true!"

"Nope, the Shadow Broker's ship is orbiting Halgalaz, you're welcome." As an afterthought, she decided to ask. "By the way, what happens when a spectre kills another spectre when working for galactic terrorists?"

Liara looked confused, which wasn't all that surprising considering how weird this entire situation had been from the very start. "What?"

"I think I might be in trouble. Would you runaway with me?"

"Shepard, are you drunk?"

"Nah, she took too many painkillers, she's been like this all day." Smashing his fists together, Grunt picks Shepard up off the floor by her shoulders and enthusiastically shakes her. "It's been awesome!"

Distracted by the gravelly sound of the krogan's voice, Shepard smiled wistfully as her body was jostled violently back and forth. "I love you, Grunt."

She heard his faint reply of "Yeah yeah" before she passed out.

* * *

**Just.. don't ask.**


End file.
